Alliance for Massage Therapy Education

From the AFMTE Leadership Development Committee:

2012 Election Process and Slate Presentation

Candidate Profiles are on the next pages...
Alliance Board Background Information
The founding members of the Alliance have accomplished a tremendous amount in a short period of time. Springboarding from the AMTA Council of Schools, where they were members but wished for a more independent voice on behalf of the massage education sector, Iris Burman, Pete Whitridge, Stan Dawson and Rick Rosen initially conceived of a new organization in mid-2009. They began by calling themselves the Leadership Group and were joined for a very busy fall of 2009 by Eugenie Newton and Su Bibik the six members included school faculty/owners and continuing education providers and represented varied organizational affiliations and diverse geographical locations within the United States. They had an inaugural conference up and running in Park City, Utah in June 2010. As the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education came formally into being, the Leadership Group came to an end. With the exception of Eugenie and Rick, they offered themselves as members of the Alliances new Board of Directors and were happily elected by the membership. The Board was instituted as a 7-member group; Ralph Stephens, Cherie Sohnen-Moe and Mark Beck were also elected in Park City to complete the roster. Rick Rosen began acting as Executive Director (ED), and soon after Coulter Communications was hired to provide day-to-day management. The seven Board positions formally represented two each from the categories of faculty, school owners/ directors, and continuing education providers, with one at-large seat. Board positions were established as two-year terms, but the initial group had three oneyear positions so that normal turnover controls could be established. Stan, Mark and Ralph were re-elected for two-year terms in 2011.

2012 Election in Tucson

The 2012 election will be conducted during the Friday morning business meeting. This mailout contains information about the slate the LDC is putting forward. The following pages contain our rationale for proposing each person for a Board position and brief statements from them. In addition, the AFMTE web site has an election area that allows you to link to each persons resum and candidate application.

Another major evolutionary moment occurred at the end of 2011 when it was decided that the young The LDC also has two positions up for ratification and three for organization could not sustain the management election. All incumbents are willing to serve another term. structure it had put in place. Operating without an Members will have the option to make nominations from the ED or management firm, the Board members have floor for all available seats. Contested seats will be decided by handled huge workloads and responsibilities in 2012. an election process. It was decided that two additional Board positions were needed, specifically for individuals with talents in marketing and membership recruitment. A marketing position was created mid-year; Stephanie Beck joined and has thrown herself into the marketing area. Stephanies mid-year appointment is up for ratification at the upcoming conference in Tucson. Pete, Iris, Cherie and Su indicated their willingness to run for new two-year terms. All candidates have been interviewed by the Leadership Development Committee (LDC), and all incumbents have been recommended for re-election by their Board peers. The Leadership Development Committee proposes reelection of the four incumbents and ratification of Stephanie Beck for one of the new seats. The LDC conducted an applicant search for the ninth position and is recommending Heather Piper.

Slate Member Profiles

Pete Whitridge representing Faculty
A massage therapy educator and practitioner for almost 25 years, Pete has served on a variety of state and national organizations. Pete was a member of the original leadership group that established the AFMTE, and was elected as the organizations first president in June 2010. Pete has a far-reaching vision for the Alliance, grounded in research, standards, training, networking and collaboration. He is noted for having well-developed consensus-building abilities and listening skills. Taking on many of the day-to-day operations of the Alliance after the contract with Coulter was ended, Pete has led the transition with incredible dedication. The LDC chose to nominate Pete because his continued leadership as Board President would bring the Alliance needed continuity, forwarding the development of the organization and strengthening the Alliances relationships in the profession.
I am a proponent of high educational standards for our field. Every aspect of our profession is undergoing re-evaluation. All of the organizations (ABMP, AMTA, AFMTE, COMTA, FSMTB, MTF, NCBTMB) are meeting regularly to collaborate and work toward universal portability, program accreditation, endorsement of consistent teacher standards, and development of specialty certification programs. All of these projects will help us establish massage therapy as a profession, not just a vocation, and the education sector is an important part of these developments. I would like to continue with this work for the Alliance and I ask for your vote of support.

Statement from Pete:

Iris Burman representing School Owners/Directors

For more than 30 years, Iris has been the school owner/director at Educating Hands School of Massage in Miami. Having served the profession in a variety of positions at the state and national levels (e.g., Council of Schools, COMTA), Iris understands the evolving needs of the profession from many perspectives. She was a member of the Alliances original leadership group and was elected to the first Board as a Schools Representative in June 2010. Iris is well known as a mover and shaker whose creativity, determination and big picture skills have been important assets for the Alliance. Handling incoming queries about Alliance membership and managing the member database were responsibilities Iris assumed after the reorganization in December 2012. The LDC chose to nominate Iris because of her extensive experience, dedication and broad network of connections in the profession.
I have passion and vision. As diverse as massage therapy and bodywork is, we share a common ground that can serve to forward our profession in a most powerful way. I wish to focus my life's wisdom on the creation of educational standards and teacher training for beginner, advanced and specialty therapists. I am a strong advocate for cooperative, collaborative efforts and would like the opportunity to continue to serve this young organization as we take our place in the field and forward our goals.

Statement from Iris:

Slate Member Profiles

Su Bibik representing School Owners/Directors
Co-founder and director of the Kalamazoo Center for Healing Arts and the owner/director of the Institute for Massage Education at KCHA, Su has been passionate about the challenges and rewards of massage therapy education for more than 30 years. Su was part of the leadership group that developed and launched the AFTME, and was elected to the Board as a Schools Representative in June 2010. Su has impressed everyone with her integrity and strong, practical vision of what is needed to keep the Alliance moving forward. Since the reorganization in December 2012, Su, as Secretary/Treasurer, assumed responsibility for the organizations financial operations. She has also served on the Annual Conference Committee and has helped represent the AFMTE in the broader profession. The LDC chose to nominate Su because of her pragmatic skills and her clear understanding of the role the Alliance can play in fostering massage education excellence.
It's exciting and fulfilling to work with such a talented and experienced group of educators for the good of the profession. There's much to be done yet, but we've also made great progress as an organization and on the projects initiated to improve the quality of education in our field. This is the work that I've been training for, teaching teachers, influencing the profession from one more level up. Good thing I'm comfortable with heights! I look forward to continuing to serve as a Board member for the Alliance.

Statement from Su:

Cherie Sohnen-Moe representing ConEd Providers

Author of best-selling textbooks for massage therapy education (Business Mastery and The Ethics of Touch, to name two), Cherie is highly attuned to the needs of educators and students of massage. Cherie was elected to the Alliance Board of Directors, representing Continuing Education providers, in June 2010. With characteristic commitment, she has served the Alliance in the areas of marketing, organization, communications and legal affairs. When the contract with Coulter and the Alliance Executive Director ended, she brought each of these skills to almost every aspect of the day-to-day running of the Alliance. A Tucson resident, Cherie has been invaluable in this years conference planning. The LDC chose to nominate Cherie for re-election because of her organizational acumen, strong work ethic, communication skills and boundless cheerful energy.
I would like the opportunity to finalize the systems that we have been developing and to get them performing fabulously. We are in an exciting, yet delicate position. My perspective (Ive been in this industry 35 years), knowledge, sense of humor, skills and the ability to play well with others can help us build bridges. I want to see this organization blossom, expand the member benefits, and transform the state of education (from teachers to curriculum).

Statement from Cherie:

Slate Member Profiles

Stephanie Beck At-Large Seat
Stephanie is a marketing professional who has worked with Biotone, Massage Warehouse, Bon Vital and Scrip, and now has her own business (SRB Solutions). She was recruited by the AFMTE Board to meet important marketing and communications needs. Stephanie is a well-respected member of the vendor community who is known for her infectious enthusiasm. She was selected by board members, and vetted by the LDC, leading to her appointment to the Board in March 2012. Since that time Stephanie has been upgrading the Alliance website, promoting the conference, enhancing social networking efforts, creating ads for online and offline publications, and more. Her Board colleagues have been amazed at how much she has been able to accomplish in a short time. The LDC is supporting the Boards request to ratify Stephanies position because of her vitally important skill set and her commitment to making sure the Alliances story gets told.
I am passionate about improving the educational component of our massage profession and using online and social media marketing to be the channel for the only independent organization that serves as a voice for massage educators and schools. My belief is that by effectively utilizing social media and online tools the Alliance will be able to further convey our message to facilitate our organizations growth and the acceptance of massage to its fullest potential.

Statement from Stephanie:

Heather Piper At-Large Seat

Heather is a massage therapy educator with 20 years in the profession. She has just been named Massage Therapy Program Director at Seacoast Career Schools in Maine. She also has a background in community events organization. In looking for a person to take up the newly created Board seat, the goal was to find someone who could bring renewed energy and focus to the Alliances member recruitment and retention functions. Heathers experiences in coordinating multi-faceted special events, including attracting and motivating volunteers, and the passion for building Alliance membership that she communicated in her interview, persuaded us that she was a good candidate for the role. The LDC chose to nominate Heather because we perceive a good match between her skill set and the Alliances needs and believe she has the requisite skills, and a strong commitment to serve the profession.
I have been a massage therapist for nearly 20 years and it truly has been my career. I would like to give back to the profession that has given to me. I was encouraged to join the AFMTE by our schools program director and became intrigued by what the Alliance has to offer we need a group that is really pushing on behalf of massage education. Im a trained public school teacher but massage therapy education is different and special in many ways. Id like to make sure more teachers are aware of the Alliance and can find the supports they need. Id like to be one of the people who help shape our field.

Statement from Heather: